Educating India

The Annual Status of Education Report, 2009 points out yet again that what stands between rural girls and a good education is often basic
facilities like transport and proper toilets, writes
Kalpana Sharma.

Swati and Anita are two young women from rural Maharashtra. They have one thing in common. Both dropped out of school once they completed Standard VIII. They wanted to
complete their schooling. Both spoke passionately to me when I met them about their desire to study. Even their parents wanted them to study further. But circumstances would
not permit this.

Both girls faced an identical dilemma. While the school up to Standard VIII was in their village or close by, the high school was some distance away. The only way to go
there was by the local State Transport bus. While going to school was not such a problem as it was during the day, at the end of the school day, they had to wait several
hours before they could catch the bus back. If for some reason the bus was cancelled, and this would happen with alarming frequency, they would have had to walk back to the
village in the dark, something their parents would not contemplate. Hence, the only option was to drop out of school.

In contrast, the brother of one of the girls faced no such problem. As soon as he was through with his classes, he would hitch a ride on a passing truck and make his way
back. This was not an option open to the girls.

Tragic situation

What is tragic is that both these girls are as bright as any you would meet in a city like Mumbai. The only reason they will not become the engineers and doctors of the
future is because there is no reliable transport linking their village to the nearest school. And theirs are not remote villages in the interior of Maharashtra. Swati lives
a mere hour away from Pune. If this is the story of Swati and Anita, think how many millions more like them must be chafing at being deprived for no other reason than a safe
mode of transport.

In 2009, ASER surveyed 16,000 villages, 300,000 households and 700,000 children. There is nothing on this scale done by an agency outside government,
hence its importance. (click here for ASER web site).

We also know that many more girls drop out even before Standard VIII for another reason: the lack of toilets in schools. The latest ASER (Annual Status of Education Report)
2009, a comprehensive survey of government and private schools in 575 out of 583 rural districts in India, revealed that only 50 per cent of government schools have toilets
and that four out of 10 government schools did not have separate toilets for girls. Even where there were separate toilets for girls, as many as 12-15 per cent were locked
and only 30-40 per cent were "usable". I visited a school in Bihar where toilets had been constructed but within days their doors had been stolen and the toilet pans smashed
making them unusable.

If girls dropout when they reach adolescence, it is often for no other reason than the lack of toilet facilities. Even in a city like Mumbai, the dropout rate amongst girls
attending municipal schools is markedly higher than that of boys because of the absence of toilets for them.

The annual ASER study, facilitated by the NGO Pratham, is a constant and important reminder of the state of education in this country. In 2009, ASER surveyed 16,000
villages, 300,000 households and 700,000 children. There is nothing on this scale done by an agency outside government, hence its importance. But each year, when ASER
results are made public, we are reminded that education is not just about quantity, or the number of children who enrol in school - a number that is increasing - but the
quality of the education these children get. And that, although it is getting better in some states, is still shockingly poor.

Conducting simple reading and mathematics tests in schools, the survey reveals that a little over half of all children in Standard V in government schools cannot read a
Standard II text book. This means a 10-year-old cannot read what a seven-year-old is supposed to be able to read. What then are these children learning even if they become a
statistic showing increased enrolment and attendance in schools?

Disturbing trend

Precious little, it would seem. What they cannot learn in school, they do so by paying for private tuitions. One of the more disturbing statistics in the survey reveals that
one in four children in Standard I in private schools is sent for private tuitions as are 17 per cent of Standard I students in government schools. Can you imagine that?
Little six-year-olds being sent for private tuition. By the time they reach Standard VIII, over one third try and learn what they are clearly not taught in school through
private tutoring. An analysis of the budget of poor people would reveal what a chunk of their earnings goes into such tuitions because they hold on to the belief that
education will pull them out of poverty. But given the poor quality of education in these schools, their children will never be able to compete with those with ability to
pay for better quality schooling.

Fortunately, not the entire ASER report is gloom and doom. One of the brighter moments in it is the fact that in Bihar, the state considered a basket case on most counts,
the dropout rate for girls in the 11-14 age group has reduced from 17.6 per cent in 2006 to 6 per cent in 2009. So Bihar must be doing something right. In fact, one of the
striking sights in Bihar today is of girls on bicycles, given by the government if they clear Standard VIII, going to the nearest high school.

The desire to ensure that children get a good education runs deep in most Indian families. Parents will sacrifice and save to invest in their children's future. Even poor
families, including the homeless with no secure shelter, find a way of sending their children to school. The increase in the enrolment rate in India - 96 per cent of
children between the ages of 6-14 are enrolled in school, government and private - is proof of that.

What urgently needs to be tackled is the quality of education, basic facilities like toilets and running water, and transport, particularly for girls. Even this will not
suffice unless there is a notable change in the status accorded teachers who ultimately decide whether and what children learn. Instead of the inordinate amount of attention
that continues to be paid to institutes of higher learning, or private institutions that promise to prepare rich children for studies abroad, something much more simple and
basic can and needs to be done to educate India and Indians.

Kalpana Sharma14 February 2010

Kalpana Sharma has been Chief of the Mumbai Bureau and Deputy Editor with The Hindu. Her opinions, which appear in a regular column with The Hindu,
are concurrently published in India Together with permission.

Praveen Kumar A
You are talking about only one side of the issue. Tamilnadu Govt took initiative and constructed large number of toilets in many villages in various districts. But the villagers do not want to use the toilets. Instead they prefer to do it open fields. This behaviour is worrying Govt officials.
Now they are planning to conduct awareness campaigns, street show and provide incentives to make them use toilets.
On one hand people complain about lack of facilities. On the other hand people dont use the provided facilities or misuse them.
Recent UN report shows the percentage improvement in education of females has significantly improved over last few years across India. Infact the increase in percentage for girls is higher compared to boys. The reason why I am mentioning this fact is that we often provide only negative side of a coin.
We dont present positive developments to readers.

February 19 2010, 2:51 PM ·
0 ·
0

Usha Gupta
I fully agree that the educational scenario can improve only if we pay attention at providing quality primary education. I believe that the Govt primary schools, whether in rural or urban ares, if not delivering, should be handed over to NGOs or private societies who are eager to educate the young children at a low cost or free, if required. Unless we take our education system seriously ,things at economic, social & even at political level will not improve. We have made education a fundamental right without trying to make it a viable reality. It is high time we stop thinking in terms of building statistics only, & start making qualitative difference.

February 23 2010, 5:22 AM ·
0 ·
0

Achyut Karve
The main reason for lack of quality education at the pre-primary and primary level is the non-appreciation of the role that language plays in the development of the child. Instead of language becoming a tool in the hand of the child it becomes the greatest hindrance in the all round development of the child. Language does not lie in the written word but lies in the spoken one. Most of the children in rural India speak a language which is remote from the language that is in vogue in the school. Unless we are capable of empowering the rural child with the language of the book, I think that the investment in primary education will not be as productive as is envisaged.

March 27 2010, 1:40 PM ·
0 ·
0

Ravi Seru
What a shame for the emerging superpower that girls miss education for lack of transportation/toilet facilities. Is there anyone out there who is prepared to do something about it beyond expressing concern? Let us not wait for government to solve all our problems. We as individuals may not solve problem of all the girls but we can certainly take some baby steps. I am not a genius but a bicycle can help girls' transportation problem. Let someone come forward and identify 10 such girls. Together, we can collect funds to get them bicycles. All that they have to do is to learn to ride a bicycle. We can contact bicycle manufacturer to sell us bicycles at reduced price. Is there anybody willing to ACT.

April 30 2010, 4:53 AM ·
0 ·
0

Rajesh Dube
I fully agree with the author on findings. Recently, I had been to Sonbhadra a remote district in UP and the plight of village residents is really shocking. The education is just one aspect that the women/female at home suffer. Even the means for livelihood are very tough to them in the absence of transportation and absence of roads altogether in most parts of the district and even if that is provided the income is not sufficient to avail of the transport system. Certain things are drastically wrong in our system both in Public/ government/ private sector. While a very very few percentage also enjoy a convoy of security personnel while moving one kilometer there are no means for travel for a large population properly even on feet. It is really shocking.

May 04 2010, 6:54 AM ·
0 ·
0

vineeta
96% of children between the ages of 0 and 6 enrolled...& the drop out rate? 40%! according to the 2001 Selected Education Statisitcs from the govt. Something is seriously wrong here! Teachers need to be trained to use better teaching methods. Teacher qualification needs to be updated. Teaching methods used in schools are archaic and lack imagination. There needs to be an initiative to upgrade teacher training schools and create incentives for teachers to show continous improvement. The next challenge for India is to improve the quality of education without which the next stage of economic progress will never happen.

April 06 2011, 8:18 PM ·
0 ·
0

India Together offers an excellent forum for people from diverse fields of expertise to present their views, share their experiences and raise questions about where our country and society are headed in the future.

Amitabha Basu

Retired Scientist

National Physical

Laboratory

India Together reader

India Together offers an excellent forum for people from diverse fields of expertise to present their views, share their experiences and raise questions about where our country and society are headed in the future.

I urge all democratic-minded individuals to road, contribute to and publicise the e-newsletters from India Together. All power and success to India Together staff for their excellent and vital contribution to our society!